The present invention relates to a suspension and shock absorbing means for automotive vehicles, inclusive of cars, trucks, and railway rolling stock. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved damping system for the suspension of any vehicle having both a sprung weight-supporting section, such as the frame of an automobile, and an unsprung surface-contacting portion, such as the axle of an auto.
The prior art has seen various generalized attempts involving the utilization of magnets and electro-magnets in order to serve the purpose of suspension and shock absorption within a mechanical system. For example, see patents to Thall, U.S. Pat. No. 2,973,963 (1961); and Lyman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,243,238 (1966).
One of the more advanced efforts in the field of suspension dampening involving the use of magnetic means appears in the patent to Theodore, U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,753 (1974). Said patent discloses the use of relatively sophisticated electronic circuitry in order to regulate the repulsive forces within a particular electro-magnetic shock dampening configuration. As far as is known by the Inventors, the patent to Theodore represents the most pertinent art which has heretofore appeared.
However, said patent differs from the present invention in several areas. Firstly, it utilizes only repulsive electro-magnetic forces, rather than a combination of both repulsive and attractive forces as is disclosed in the hereinafter specification. Further, the patent to Theodore utilizes a relatively involved electronic circuit to achieve its purpose. In distinction, the present invention utilizes a circuit of extreme simplicity which, nonetheless, is wholly adequate in achieving the desired shock absorption function.